Strawberry White Chocolate Muffins-Simply Scrumptious!

Today, I made some yummy Strawberry White Chocolate Muffins with delicious strawberries that were super cheap at the grocery store. I love summer-time when berries are often on sale for less than $1.50 a package. Berries are by far my favorite food-so sweet and so very good for you to eat. You could easily substitute any berry for the strawberries. I am sure raspberries, blueberries, or blackberries would taste just as great in this easy muffin recipe. So, in honor of Summer's fast approach, make some of these delightful treats for your family.

Have a Beautiful week my Beautiful Readers! You are loved dearly by your Heavenly Father! May your lives be a sweet fragrance to God!

Strawberry White Chocolate Muffins

Ingredients:
1 egg
2 cups Original Bisquick mix
2/3 cup milk
1/2 cup white baking chips
1/3 cup sugar
2 tablespoons vegetable oil
1 cup strawberries

Sugar for dusting on top of muffins

Directions:
1.Heat oven to 400°F. Grease bottoms only of 12 regular-size muffin cups, or place paper baking cup in each muffin cup.
2.Beat egg slightly in medium bowl. Stir in remaining ingredients except raspberries just until moistened. Gently stir in strawberries. Divide batter evenly among cups.
3.Bake 15 to 18 minutes or until golden brown. Cool 5 minutes; remove from pan.
Makes 12 muffins
I sprinkled mine with sugar before baking to make them extra sweet :).

Banana Cream Pie in a Bowl-the Perfect Memorial Day Dessert

We are having some dear friends and their children over for dinner tomorrow night for a simple meal of hamburgers and hot dogs on the grill, french fries, watermelon, and yummy desserts. I wanted to make something light and yummy that would be loved by kiddos and adults. I found this recipe for BANANA CREAM PIE IN A BOWL in one of my Betty Crocker Cookbooks, and I was so pleased with the way it turned out. It was super-easy to make, and the layers look so pretty in the glass bowl. I cannot wait to taste it tomorrow. This would be the perfect dessert to take to your upcoming Memorial Day Picnic or BBQ. It is sure to be loved by kids of all ages :).

Have a truly blessed week my friends and remember that you are dearly loved by your Heavenly Father!!

"Let the morning bring me word of your unfailing love, for I have put my trust in you. Show me the way I should go, for to you I entrust my life." Psalm 143:8

Banana Cream Pie in a Bowl

Ingredients:
1 cup all-purpose flour
1/4 cup packed brown sugar
1/2 cup firm butter or margarine (1 stick)
1/2 cup peanuts
1 box (4-serving size) banana instant pudding and pie filling mix
2 cups cold milk
3 ripe medium bananas, sliced (I used 6 bananas)
1 container (8 oz) frozen whipped topping, thawed (I used two containers)

Caramel Syrup Topping (optional)

Directions:
Heat oven to 400°F. In medium bowl, mix flour and brown sugar. Cut in butter, using pastry blender, until mixture is crumbly. Stir in peanuts. Press evenly on bottom of ungreased 9-inch square pan. Bake about 15 minutes or until light brown. Stir to break up. Cool completely, about 1 hour.

In large bowl, make pudding mix as directed on box, using 2 cups milk. In 2-quart serving bowl, layer half of the crumb mixture, pudding, whipped topping, and bananas; repeat layers. I added a circle of whipped topping in the center, sprinkled some crumb mixture on top and drizzled the whole thing with caramel syrup to make it extra special and delish! Cover and refrigerate at least 4 hours. Top with additional peanuts if desired. Store in refrigerator.

Note: This recipe serves 6 but could easily be doubled if you expect a big crowd. Just make sure to use a very large glass bowl :).

Peanut Butter-Ribboned Banana Bread

Today I experimented with a Banana Bread Recipe and some Peanut Butter Morsel Chips that I had in my pantry. The end result was a delicious, hearty sweet bread that would be the perfect breakfast or after-school snack when slathered with peanut butter or honey. I encourage you to make a loaf and treat your kiddos in these final weeks before Summer break begins. This delicous treat is sure to bring a smile to their faces and their tummies.

My sweet four year old truly brought a smile to my face and heart this morning. I have to share this sweet moment with you. I woke up to Jaythan singing "God is bigger than the boogy man, He's bigger than Gozilla and the monsters on t.v...." Then, when I came out to the living room, he brought me his Veggie Tales Bible and asked me to read to him from Genesis 10 because "today is number 10 on the calendar and we need a Bible story." So, I started a bit ahead and read to him the story of creation to which he asked many questions and seemed truly interested and engaged. It was a special memory that I will treasure always. In fact, I would love to start a tradition of reading to him from the Bible each morning...a time when we can share and grown together. This morning through my son I received a Beautiful reminder that we must start our day singing praises and reading God's Word!

May your day be filled with a new realization of God's love for you, a greater desire to spend time with Him studying His Word, and a heart full of praise to Him for His blessings in your life. You are prayed for daily and loved dearly!

"They were also to stand every morning to thank and praise the LORD. They were to do the same in the evening" 1 Chronicles 23:30

Peanut Butter-Ribboned Banana Bread

Ingredients:
•½ cups Peanut Butter Chips (I used Reeses brand)
•¼ cups Butter, At Room Temperature
•½ cups Granulated Sugar
•2 whole Large Eggs
•1 cup Mashed Bananas, About 2-3 Medium (overripe bananas work best)
•⅓ cups Buttermilk
•1 teaspoon Vanilla Extract
•2 cups All-purpose Flour
•1 teaspoon Baking Powder
•½ teaspoons Salt
•⅛ teaspoons Baking Soda

Directions:
1. Melt the peanut butter chips in a small bowl in the microwave (30-45 seconds), stir. Set aside and let cool to room temperature.

2. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Spray a large nonstick loaf pan (9 x 5) with cooking spray. Dust with flour.

3. In a large bowl, beat the softened butter with the sugar with an electric mixer until crumbly. Add in eggs, one a time, beating well after each addition. Mix in mashed banana, buttermilk, and vanilla extract.

4. In a small bowl, combine flour, baking powder, salt and baking soda. Mix to combine.

5. Add dry ingredients to wet ingredients and mix until just combined. Remove 1 cup of batter to the small bowl with the melted peanut butter chips. Mix well with a wooden spoon or hand mixer.

6. Pour half of the banana bread batter on the bottom of the loaf pan. Pour the peanut butter batter over the banana bread batter. Spread evenly. Top with the rest of the banana bread batter and smooth the top. Run a knife up and down through the batter to create a swirl effect.

7. Bake at 350 degrees F for 45-55 minutes or until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean. Cool in pan on a wire rack for 15 minutes, then remove to the wire rack to cool completely. Slice into 16 pieces. Serve warm slathered in honey or peanut butter. Enjoy with a glass of cold milk.